By Hannie Durham-Arnold, Y12
Recently, I had the chance to sit down with Mr. Phillips, a cherished secondary school math teacher and former LGB student. Here’s how it went.
Mr. Phillips described himself as a 1985 LGB alumnus of “naturalisé” Swiss origin. Having served in the Swiss army and attended EPFL, he is a true local.
What inspired you to become a math teacher?
I’ve got a family history of teachers, and even my grandparents were first generation teachers in a small French village, who rose a great social step from a background of farmers or miners. My parents are both teachers and on my father’s side many of them are teachers too. When I grew up, however, my father even told me “whatever you do don’t become a teacher!” This led me to not go into teaching initially but I suppose genetics caught up with me.
What is your favourite math topic to teach?
Well, the reason I teach is to be with the students, but a topic I did love teaching in math studies was called “discrete maths” which was very interesting for students because it is like real life puzzles, including a problem called the Königsberg bridge problem which was really enjoyed by students. I also enjoy math contests and the questions involved in them because they allow students with less of an academic background to do well and think with a mathematical mind.
Do you have a favourite year group to teach?
I honestly enjoy teaching all years and believe there are interesting things to do in all year groups.
As an alumnus of LGB do you prefer being a student or a teacher here?
Both experiences were great! I have great memories of being a student here, and I made some great life long friends. The only problem being that your friends go all over the world, so staying in contact can be difficult and rare. With that said I still see many of my highschool friends every few years, but it is very definitely different from the experience of going to a local (non-international) school.
What is your go to math pun?
Well I try to find a pun per topic, a bit of fun is always welcome in maths because I think it reduces the fear around maths to have a good atmosphere and a lot of encouragement. I always come up with the same I suppose but one of them is when we do bearings in trigonometry I say “We’re gonna do bearings and students often find bearings unbearable!”
What are some of your hobbies?
My main hobby is flying planes, I started when I was 15 and have had a license in flying for something like 35 years.
What was one of your most memorable experiences when flying?
Every flight is very exciting and a new adventure, I once went as far as Scotland which was quite amazing and coming down from the west coast of Scotland in a small plane has to be one of the best experiences.
If you weren’t a math teacher what profession do you think you would have pursued?
Well, my initial profession was engineering. I was in a nice little company for 8 years, building bridges and tunnels for the Swiss federal railways and the national motorways. When I left for teaching I actually had a bit of a doubt whether it was the right choice but I had to give it a try.
What are your least favourite and favourite aspects of teaching?
We mark a lot of tests and marking tests is interesting because you see what students have gathered, but it can definitely be tiresome. I like preparing lessons and conceiveing an idea of how a lesson can be taught. It’s like a puzzle, having to get a concept across to students is not as simple as it sounds and the direct path is not always the best one.
What has been your most memorable moment in a class?
Well, I’ve had a lot of great classes where you have a real sense of community among the students, and where you feel at one with the class. Seeing good results from IB students I have taught gives me a sense of pride and achievement, so those are the best moments.
If there’s one thing you want your students to come away with after graduating from your class what would you want it to be?
I hope that they found their whole school experience pleasant and that those who are afraid of maths actually found the course interesting. It can be disappointing to hear people my age talking about how terrible maths was, and it makes you wonder whether this is the destiny of maths. Still, I believe if math is taught properly it can be enjoyable, so that is my aim.
A thank you to Mr Phillips of the math department.
